The invention relates to the field of packaging and, more particularly to a foldable package that is suitable for carrying and dispensing objects.
Every marketer learns in their Marketing 101 class that packaging sells products. Two aspects of packaging include attraction and convenience. Much care and attention is put into the aesthetics of packaging in an effort to capture the eye or the attention of a consumer. Anything that can be used to gain even a moment of hesitation as a consumer is scanning the shelves of a store greatly increases the probability that the consumer will select that product. Another aspect of packaging is the convenience factor. If the packaging helps to improve the life of the consumer, then the packaging has a higher probability of selling the product to the consumer.
An example of a resent packaging breakthrough can be seen in the canned beverage market with the introduction of the fridgepack. The fridgepack, most commonly seen used in the packaging of soft drinks but also used for canned beer, conveniently provides a package that is suitable for carrying a quantity of canned drinks and, also servers as a dispensing mechanism that can be placed into a refrigerator or on a consumer's pantry shelf. Examples of such a package can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,283,293 issued to Lingamfelter and 6,578,736 issued to Spivey.
In general, the fridgepack includes a built in handle that allows a consumer to easily carry the contents, usually 12 canned beverages, and includes a perforated opening on one end. Once the perforated opening is removed, the canned beverages can be easily dispensed from the packaging. Thus, the consumer is relieved of the cumbersome process of opening the packaging, stacking the canned beverages on the shelf of the refrigerator, and reaching to the back of the refrigerator to retrieve the last few cans. However, an inherent problem with the fridgepack is that when the consumer removes all but the last row of product, the amount of the product that still resides within the container is not readily known to the consumer due to the design of the fridgepack.
An industry that has not shared the benefit of the convenience of a fridgepack like packaging is the bottled drink industry. There are several design problems that have limited the use of such a convenient packaging mechanism in the bottled drink industry. One such problem is the fact that bottled beverages are substantially heavier than canned beverages. In addition, the ramifications realized by the failure of bottled drink packaging are significantly more severe than that for canned beverages. For instance, bottled drinks are not as resilient to being dropped as can beverages are. On top of this, the broken glass resulting from a failure of bottle drink packaging creates a potential injury hazard that would increase the liability of the packaging company and the product distributor. Because of these reasons, the handle portion of a package used to carry bottled beverages must be rugged to prevent breakage or tearing. In addition, the entire package must support the weight of the bottled beverages that are stored within it.
The introduction of a perforated opening, typically located on the side or end panels similar to the opening used in the fridgepack design for canned beverages, creates a structural weakness in the packaging. Utilizing such a structure for a bottled beverage package imposes a risk. For instance, if the perforation fails while a consumer is carrying the packaged product, the handle may also fail or, bottles may escape the packaging thereby causing the package to be dropped or the contents to be spilled. Thus, packaging for bottled beverages should take such structural issues into consideration.
Another issue that is faced by glass bottled beverage packagers is the need for dividers to be placed within the package as a cushion between the bottles. The absence of such dividers can result in impact between the glass bottles causing breakage. Such dividers can also add to the complexity of creating a package that is also conducive for dispensing the glass bottled beverages in that the dividers can inhibit the consumer's ability to extract the bottles from the packaging.
Another problem hindering the development of fridgepack like packaging features for bottled beverages is the bottle packaging itself. Generally, bottled beverages should be shelved in the warehouse and store shelves in an upright manner. This is due to the fact that the structure of the bottles provides significantly more strength when they are upright. Thus, if multiple packages are stacked on top of each other, the structure provided by the upright bottles decreases the probability of breakage. In contrast, if the bottles are packed on their side, the probability of breakage is significantly increased.
Several designs for packaging bottled beverages have been introduced to the market; however, the available designs are not sufficient for use as a fridgepack like package. The deficiencies in the available packaging include the fact that a dispensing mechanism is not included that allows the package to be easily stored in a refrigerator and yet, provides easy access for a consumer to extract all the bottles. The current state of the art packaging includes a weakened portion that can be extracted to provide the consumer access to the interior portion of the package. However, to maintain the structural integrity of the packaging, the size and location of the opening is greatly limited. Thus, once the perforated material is removed, the consumer does not have easy access to the interior.
Another issue that packaging designers are faced with is limiting the cost of packaging. Every penny that is added to the cost of the packaging must be passed on to the consumer, borne by the industry, or shared by both. Thus, any changes in the packaging of bottled beverages must carefully weigh the cost in view of the potential increase or decrease in product sales.
What is needed in the art is a packaging design that allows products to be stored in an upright manner while being warehoused or shelved at a retail location, that is structurally sound for carrying the package, and that provides a fridgepack like dispensing capability that provides ease of access to the contents. Such a packaging design would be beneficial for the packaging of bottled beverages, but would also be applicable to packaging of a variety of other bottled items as well as other items. In addition, there is a need in the art for a fridgepack like packaging for bottled drinks that minimizes any impact on the cost of the packaging process.